Film holding appliance



April 1941- c. s. BASSIN 2,238,358

FILM HOLDING APPLIANCE Filed June 28, 1939 AZ/ i Patented Apr. 15, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILM HOLDING APPLIANCE Charles S. Bassin,Newt n, Mass, assignor to New England Theatres, Inc., Boston, Mass, acorporation of Delaware Application June 28, 1939, Serial No. 281,565

8 Claims.

While tank development of films and plates is Widely practiced, a veryconsiderable number of photographers, both professional and amateur,still prefer tray development, since it permits individual treatment ofeach exposure and in skilled hands is conducive to better and moreartistic effects. However, developing, fixing and washing, in accordancewith tray development, require several handlings of the sensitizedelement with concomitant danger of fingerprinting, scratching orotherwise damaging the coatings. The difficulty is especially pronouncedin handling a thin flexible element such as a cut film which, when wet,is slippery and tends to adhere to the bottom of the tray. Furthermore,the use of the fingers for transferring the film from one treating bathto another is a common source of staining and of contamination of thedeveloping solution.

The present invention provides an appliance or holder designed to holdout film or the like substantially flat and so that it may readily beimmersed in a shallow body of solution., The holder has a handle formanipulating it so that the user need not Wet his fingers in any of thesolutions used, although he may readily move the sensitized elementabout within the solution or may transfer it from one bath to another.

In accordance with the present invention, the holder is so constructedas to be substantially devoid of cracks or crevices and has a smoothsurface so that it is very easy to rinse off any of the severalsolutions into which it may be dipped. Furthermore, the device is verysimple in form and cheap to construct and thus it becomes feasible forthe user to provide himself with such a number of holders that anindividual holder may be assigned to each film of the batch to bedeveloped. The film may thus remain in its holder during the severalsuccessive stages of development and during the final drying. The damageof contamination of the developing solution is thereby greatly lessened.Furthermore, by proceeding in this way it is unnecessary to touch thefilm at all with the hand during the entire process, the film being soheld as to avoid damage to its sensitized surface and being kept flatuntil it is completed and dried.

In the accompanying drawing wherein certain desirable embodiments of theinvention are illustrated by way of example,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the appliance,-- shown as having a filmmounted therein, the film being indicated by broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the appliance of Fig. 1,-a conventionaldeveloping tray being indicated in broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the appliance, the handle being brokenaway;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, to somewhat larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, to largerscale, illustrating the mode of mounting the film in the appliance; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a modified construction.

Referring to the drawing, the appliance is shown as comprising thefilm-holding portion l and the handle 2. The portion I preferablyconsists of a single length of stiff and substantially rigid wire of acharacter such that it will not readily be corroded by the solutions inwhich the device may be placed. Stainless steel wire is recommended forthe purpose, although other corrosion-resistant metals or metals coatedor plated with corrosion-resistant materials may be employed, forexample, brass wire coated with rubber or a suitable synthetic resin.The handle 2 also preferably consists of a single piece of wire, or, ashereinafter more fully described, the entire device, including theholding portion and handle, may consist of a single integral length ofwire. Wire of the order of inch diameter is quite desirable, as it isreadily possible to obtain wire of that diameter which is stiff enoughfor the purpose and, on the other hand, wire of that size does notelevate the film too high from'the bottom of the tank. The film-holdingportion of the appliance is preferably of substantially rectangularcontour, although it is contemplated that it may be of a differentcontour, for example, substantially triangular, and still embody thebroader principles of the invention.

As illustrated, the wire which forms the holding portion I is so bent asto provide four supporting elements which are disposed in substantiallythe same plane and which are designed to underlie the marginal portionsof the film F at its respective edges a, b, c and d. i

The supporting element which underlies the margin adjacent to the edge aof the film comprises the elongate substantially rectangular part 3(Fig. 3) designed to extend parallel to the edge a of the film, and therelatively short parallel legs 4 and 5 which extend outwardly from therespective ends of the part 3 and which are substantially perpendicularto the edge a of the film.

The supporting element which underlies the margin of the film adjacentto the edge comprises the elongate part 6 designed to extendsubstantially parallel to the edge 0, and the relatively short parallellegs I and 8 projecting outwardly from the respective ends of the part 6and which are substantially perpendicular to the edge e of the film.

The supporting element which underlies the margin of the film adjacentto the edge doomprises the elongate part 9 and the parallel legs I0 andII which extend outwardly from the respective ends of the part 9 andwhich are substantially perpendicular to the edge d of the film.

The supporting element which underlies the margin of the film adjacentto the edge 1) comprises the elongate part I2 designed to extendparallel to the edge I) and the relatively short parallel legs I3 and I4which extend outwardly from the ends of the part I2 and which aresubstantially perpendicular to the edge I) of the film.

The holding portion of the device also cornprises retaining elementswhich are designed to overlie the respective corners of the film, eachof said retaining elements consisting of a portion of the wire bentsubstantially to L-shape. The retaining element which overlies thecorner of the film where the edges 0 and d intersect comprises the legI5 substantially perpendicular to the edge 0 and the leg I6 which issubstantially perpendicular to the edge 11.

A second retaining element comprises the leg I! which is substantiallyperpendicular to the edge (1 and the leg I8 which is substantiallyperpendicular to the edge a.

The third retaining element comprises the leg I9 which is substantiallyperpendicular to the edge 0 and the leg 20 which is substantiallyperpendicular to the leg I).

The fourth retaining element comprises the leg 22 which is substantiallyperpendicular to the edge I) and the leg 2I which is substantiallyperpendicular to the edge a. Preferably the legs 20 and 22 are longerthan the legs I6 and II.

The four retaining elements are disposed in a plane which is sovertically spaced from the plane of the supporting elements as to permitthe introduction of the film between said planes.

The several legs of the retaining elements are united to correspondinglegs of the supporting elements by smoothly curved bights of the wireconstituting film-positioning means. Thus, for example, the legs I! andin are united by the bight 23; the legs 22 and I3 by the bight 24: thelegs I8 and 4 by the bight 25; and the legs I5 and I by the bight 26,etc., the several bights of wire being curved in vertical planes withthe concavely curved surface facing inwardly for engagement with theedge of the film.

It will be observed that at each side of the substantially rectangularopen frame constituting the holding portion of the appliance there aretwo of these curved pocket-forming bights of wire. As noted, thesebights have curved inner surfaces which are designed to embrace and toengage the respective edges of the film. Preferably the several pocketsP, each formed by one of these curved bights, are so spaced and relatedthat the edge of the film engages the concavely curved walls of thepockets with a slight degree of pressure such that the curvature of thewall tends to hold the film substantially midway between the supportingand retaining elements. However, although such positioning of the filmis desirable, since any contact whatever of the coated surface of thefilm with parts of the holder is thereby avoided, it will be understoodthat if the film be of slightly less dimensions than that for which theholding portion is designed, the uncoated surface of the film may restupon the supporting elements and that under ordinary conditions thecoated surface will not engage the retaining elements, and

that if it does so contact the retaining elements, the contact isconfined to the corner portions oi the film.

By making the legs 20 and 22 longer than the legs I6 and II, the pocketsP at the right-hand end of the holder, as illustrated, are somewhatdeeper than the pockets at the opposite end. In

placing the film in the holder, one edge is slipped into the deeperpockets, as illustrated in Fig. 5; the film is then buckled upwardly toa slight extent so that its opposite edge may slip beneath the member 9;and when the film is released it straightens out with its respectiveedges seated in the several pockets.

The handle 2, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, comprises alength of wire twisted so as to form a looplike horizontal grip portion29, a vertical or offset portion 28, and substantially horizontaldivergent parts 21 whose ends are soldered, brazed or welded to the partI2. The Vertical height of the member 23 is such that when the holdingportion rests upon the bottom of the tray T, the hand grip portion 29 ofthe appliance will be above the plane of the top edge of the tray. Thusthe user may subject a film mounted in the holding portion of theappliance to the action of the requisite solutions or baths withoutwetting his hand with the fiuid.

In Fig. 6 a slight modification is illustrated wherein the handleportion and the film-holding portion consist of a single integral lengthof wire which is twisted to form the grip portion 29*, and which is.bent to provide an upright or offset portion and the horizontal members27. The parts 21 merge integrally with parts I2, I2 corresponding to thesingle part I2 of the previously described embodiment, the remainder ofthe holding portion being exactly like that above described. The ends ofthe single length of wire may be united at any convenient point and inany desired manner.

In using the device, the film may be mounted in the holding portion I,as above described, and subjected to the action of the developingsolution in the tray T until development is complete. Then, withoutremoving the film from the appliance, the film may be washed, fixed,rewashed, and dried, the loop-like handle constituting convenient meansby which the appliance may be suspended while the film is drying. Duringthe drying, the film is held substantially straight and fiat by theretaining and supporting elements and out of contact with anything whichmight injure the coating.

While it is preferable to leave the film in the appliance throughout theentire process, it is obvious that the film may be removed at anydesired stage and that the appliance may be used for subjecting one filmafter another to any sing1e treatment comprised in the process ofdevelopment. It is further to be understood that the appliance may beused for holding other sensitized elements, for example paper prints orthe like, while development takes place.

Moreover, while the device is preferably of rigid, unitary character inorder to reduce its cost and to facilitate cleansing and is designed foruse with a flexible film, which may be bent in order to introduce itinto the holding portion of the appliance, it is to be understood thatit may be used for holding a more or less rigid element such as aphotographic plate, if the latter be of proper dimensions to permit itsintroduction beneath the retaining elements.

While desirable embodiments of the invention are herein illustrated anddescribed by way of example, it is to be understood that the inventionis not necessarily limited to these precise embodiments, but is to beregarded as broadly inclusive of any and all equivalent constructionssuch as fall within the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An appliance of the class described and designed for use in the traydevelopment of cut film, said appliance comprising a film-holdingportion including parts which underlie and overlie the marginal portionsonly of the film and which are constructed and arranged to hold the filmin a substantially horizontal plane close to the bottom of the tray, anda handle having a grip portion disposed in a plane above that of the topof the tray, the fi1m-holding portion being devoid of crevices or acuteangles and consisting of a single length of smooth and substantiallyrigid corrosion-resistant Wire having rounded bights constitutingpockets for the reception of the respective edges of the film.

2. An appliance of the class described comprising a length of wirehaving elongate film-supporting portions arranged respectively tounderlie the four margins of a rectangular piece of film, said elongateportions being in substantially the same plane, the Wire also includingfilm-retaining portions arranged to overlie the film at its four cornersrespectively, the wire also having bights curved in vertical planes andwhich unite the elongate supporting portions to the adjacent retainingportions, said bights constituting pockets for the reception of therespective edges of the film.

3. An appliance for use in the tray development of cut film or the like,said appliance comprising a length of wire bent to provide four pairs ofcurved bights, the several bights being so disposed and arranged thateach pair of bights receives one of the respective edges of the film,elongate supporting elements integral with said bights and arranged tounderlie the respective margins of the film, and a handle secured to oneof said elongate supporting elements and comprising a substantiallyvertical portion of a height exceeding the depth of the tray, and a gripportion united to the upper end of said vertical portion.

4. An appliance for use in the tray development of cut film comprising afilm-holding portion and a handle, the holding portion includingsupporting elements disposed in a horizontal plane and arranged tounderlie the margim of the film, the vertical thickness of saidsupporting elements being of the order of inch, the holding portion alsoincluding positioning elements engageable with the respective edge ofthe film to prevent it from shifting horizontally, the handle includinga grip portion disposed in a plane so vertically spaced from the planeof the supporting elements that the hand of the user need not enter thetray.

5. An appliance of the class described comprising a film-holding portionand a handle, the film-holding portion consisting of a length of wirearranged to form four supporting elements, each having an elongate partdesigned to extend substantially parallel to one edge respectively ofthe film, and a pair of parallel legs disposed at right angles to saidedge, the elongate parts of the supporting elements defining the foursides of an open rectangular frame and being designed to underlie therespective margins of the film, the wire also forming fourfilm-retaining elements each of substantially L-shape and arranged tooverlie the respective corners of the film, each leg of each L-shapedelement being connected respectively by a curved bight of the wire to aleg of one of the supporting elements.

6. An appliance of the class described comprising a substantially rigidfilm-holding portion and a handle portion, the film-holding and handleportions being disposed in substantially parallel vertically spacedplan-es, the film-holding portion being an open frame of substantiallyrectangular contour, each side of the frame comprising elements whichunderlie and overlie the four margins of the film respectively, and eachside of the frame having at least one pocket for the reception ofcorresponding edges of the film, said pockets having a concavely curvedfilm-engaging surface and being so spaced and arranged that the filmmust be flexed in introducing it into the holder.

'7. In an appliance for use in tray development of a cut film, saidappliance comprising a substantially rigid film-holding portion and ahandle, the film-holding portion including elements disposed to underlieand overlie the four margins of the film respectively, andfilm-positioning means having surfaces concavely curved in verticalplanes and designed to engage the respective edges of the film, saidpositioning means being so designed and arranged as to tend to hold thefilm on all sides substantially in the mid-plane between said underlyingand overlying elements, and mid-way between the upper and lower limitsof said curved surfaces.

8. An apparatus for the class described comprising a substantially rigidfilm-holding portion and handle portion, the film-holding and handleportions being disposed in substantially parallel vertical spacedplanes, the film-holding portion being an open frame of substantiallyrectangular contour, each side of the frame comprising elements whichunderlie the four margins of the film respectively, and each side of theframe having at least one pocket for the reception of an edge of thefilm.

CHARLES S. BASSIN.

